The pronouncement drew loud cheers from the crowd, which had assembled to catch the band on its first tour in 14 years, and the cheering didn't stop until the group had ripped through a lively 20-song set that included a three-tune encore. If there are still those who doubt Soundgarden's comeback, it's time for them to give in. The band is indeed back and just as raucous, loud and tight as in its 1990s heyday.

There was little in Wednesday's show to demonstrate that the Soundgarden guys are now well into middle age, but there's no denying the years that have passed. Almost in recognition of that fact, Cornell celebrated his 47th birthday on stage Wednesday. And he's one of the younger members of the band. Guitarist Kim Thayil is 50 and drummer Matt Cameron is 48. Only bassist Ben Shepherd, at 42, is younger.

That hardly matters because these guys don't "sound" old. Wednesday's show was intensely tight and remarkably loud. Whether the latter quality is considered an advantage will depend on the listener, but it's worth noting because -- even with earplugs in -- there were moments when the concert was deafening.

Personally, I've always preferred shows that are toned down enough to allow nuances in the music to come through. When a concert is as loud as Soundgarden's Wednesday show, that's virtually impossible because anyone not wearing earplugs will notice a degradation in their hearing during the course of the show. And those wearing earplugs are already losing some of the music's sonic brilliance. Still, I understand that some fans don't feel like they've had a real concert experience unless the thumping of the bass has given them an inner-body massage. For them, Wednesday's concert was perfectly mixed.

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Soundgarden has long been heralded as a grunge rock act, in large part because it broke out of the Seattle music scene around the same time as Pearl Jam and Nirvana. In reality, it's better identified as a hard rock band with an alternative twist and, at it's best, it produced some of the most exciting and innovative songs of its generation. That's not to say the group is perfect. At its worst, it sacrifices things like melody and harmonic complexity for an overreliance on distorted guitar riffs, loud volumes and hard-driving rhythms, and both sides of the group were on display Wednesday.

When Cornell and company played their best tunes -- including "Black Hole Sun," "Spoonman," "Rusty Cage" and "Fell On Black Days" -- the experience was sublime. When they dug into some of the deeper album cuts, the result was considerably less satisfying.

Still, there's no faulting the musicians. They played the material they had at their disposal with energetic virtuosity. They also focused on their best-known tunes, sprinkling more obscure numbers in just for spice. The fact that there are serious inconsistencies in the band's repertoire can't be remedied on the live stage, and most fans have probably come to terms with that, either embracing the less tuneful material or simply accepting it as part of the Soundgarden experience.

On Wednesday, Cornell, Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd delivered that experience, and they did so with the energy and stage presence of rockers half their age.